Immelman Turn: And Face the Strain
by ThebigW
Summary: Continuation of Tea and Sympathy. Claus unexpectedly meets up with Alvis, Alistia, and Tatiana on his way to his date with Lavie. Plenty of angst ensues, but perhaps something new is born.
1. Changes

**Last Exile** is owned by Ganeon, and perhaps a few other fortunate individuals.

I make no profit from this work of fiction. As far as my planned-for original works, I can only hope…

Please read **Tea and Sympathy**, published in this section, in order to understand the events leading up to this continuation.

&&&&&&&

Claus tugged at the collar of his shirt absent-mindedly as he followed the Imperial Guardsman through the halls of the palace. It wasn't that he didn't like to dress up on occasion; it was just that excessive formality generally went against his easy-going nature.

And there certainly had been more than enough formal occasions to attend since the end of the war.

Sadly, some had been funerals, of friends, even. The most recent being Godwin, who, for as powerful a man as he had been, succumbed to seemingly natural causes just two months ago. He was his healthy and robust self the last time the vanship pilot had seen him, at a picnic the former Sylvana crew held, actually catching and lifting Claus off his feet using his favorite wrestling move. The look of panic on Claus' face, and the way he stiffened his body while the stronger man paraded about holding him over his head brought applause and laughter from the gathered crowd, and a shriek of anxiety from Lavie.

At the last moment, Godwin had relaxed and settled Claus down gently, instead of slamming him to the ground, which had been Claus' worst expectation. The gang doubled over in fits and peals, and some even held their sides at Claus' distress then, slapping him on the back over beer and bratwurst, after.

Lavie, having screamed her lungs out in nervous anticipation over that display of misplaced machismo, calmly walked behind the lead mechanic, who had by now seated himself and was working on a large helping of food, and in the middle of his own guffaw, dumped her mug of brew over his head. He choked and sputtered for a bit, then, after getting his bearings, and to even more of the gang's laughter, took off after her. The young navi had never run so fast in her life.

A week later, Godwin was gone.

Lavie had cried for days after his funeral, as those two had built up a lasting friendship during her time spent in the Sylvana's hangar, when he and the rest of the mechanics crew had slipped her tools and material as she repaired what they all thought had been Claus' father's vanship. Godwin's passing had shaken Claus as well, as once again he was reminded of the unpredictability of life.

He was also reminded of how precious each day spent with Lavie was, and that he had better make up his mind soon as to what his approach was going to be, to make her aware of what his heart held.

&&&&&&&

But there had also been other, happier occasions, weddings, in fact, that the two had attended. Now that Claus thought about it some more, it occurred to him how protective Lavie had been during those events, never letting him out of her field of vision. Although they were technically not a couple, she stuck close to him on those outings, allowing him perhaps a snippet of conversation here and there with one or another of the seemingly countless eligible girls who couldn't help swarming about him, chatting incessantly about some inanity or other. With a small smile, he recalled her new favorite dismissal.

"Thank you so much for sharing that. Buh-bye…"

She would barely paste the fake smile on her face for this one before another seized the window of opportunity to try to get in a good word. From somewhere, Claus didn't know where, Lavie had developed this low-pitched growl that went along with the grinding-teeth face. And if they were so bold as to actually reach out and touch him, then a completely new, other face appeared…

That other face, complete with the twitching eye, usually sent them fleeing.

No, they were not a couple, per se, but almost everyone who knew them thought of them as such. It was simply a matter of when one or the other of them would take the bold first step in expressing their sentiments to each other. It was as he had revealed to Sophia. He'd had an idea of how Lavie felt about him, and for far too long now, he had wanted to act on his growing feelings for her. But every time he tried to express himself, she would look up at him, into his eyes, waiting patiently for the hoped-for confession. In that silent moment, that moment that spanned the age of the universe, he would freeze, at a loss as to what to say or do exactly. Without a father or even an older brother to pull him aside and explain the way things worked when it came to women, he continued to flounder about.

Two nights ago, as she stood in the galley area, cutting the potatoes for dinner, he went to help her, to get some seasonings that she would have had to stand on a footstool to reach, and so had squeezed past the small space behind where she stood.

He had turned to look at her then, her head tilted down as she concentrated on her work. Her short bob had fallen forward, revealing the delicate slope of the back of her neck.

_So beautiful..._

When had he first noticed that? An impulse seized him then, to wrap his arms around her, to pull her to him, to nestle her within his embrace, and to plant gentle kisses on that expanse of soft, sensitive skin that had now revealed itself to him.

_Oh yes, that would work. And then, of course, Lavie would shriek in terror, whirl around and slice him to ribbons before she realized that it was him, and that she had killed him. Not… so… good..._

He knew how sharp that knife was; he had seen her test it out after working it against the grindstone.

He had made a small strangling sound then, as he crushed that impulse, and Lavie, having heard his gasp, looked up first at the space in front of her, then turned slowly from what she was doing to look directly at him, before asking if he was alright. She was slightly blushed, the hairs on the back of her neck standing, as she had felt the thrill caused by his proximity run up her spine.

Claus looked into her soft brown eyes, and his heart started to trip over itself, suddenly not quite remembering if it should beat, or not. He could not hide his own blush.

'_No, Lavie. I'm not alright. I want to hold you. I want to kiss you. I want to reveal to you everything that I truly feel about you. I want to know, to really know, if you want me as well. It's so hard. We've been like siblings for so long, and you're my best friend. But I want more than that. I want to… I want for us to…'_

Lavie saw the look on his face, and wondered, the eternal space between the beats of her own heart collapsing as time itself stopped.

'Will this be the time? Is he going to..?'

Claus' confession almost made it, almost got out into the open, past his fear of her rejection, past his fear of her acceptance, even, past the unknown future for the two of them. But at the last second, fear gained the upper hand once again, and once again, it lied.

"Umm, it's nothing, just a twinge in this shoulder. I must have used too much torque on the ratchet wrench when I cleaned the left distributor…"

He rubbed his shoulder for some additional validation of his lie, with more than a bit of remorse and self-loathing at his cowardice. She looked at him quizzically for a moment, before her face softened, as if she understood everything that had crossed his mind. She set the cutting utensil down and turned to face him fully, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Want me to put some ointment or wrap an ice pack on it?"

She was concerned that he may have actually injured himself; it was true, but also, maybe, just maybe…

She was of the age where she now noticed things that she might have ignored before, and one of those things was just how wonderful Claus looked with his shirt off. And then, to actually touch him with his permission, to not bump into him "accidentally", followed by an "oops" or "sorry", why that would be simply...

'Say yes, Claus. Please. Just say yes.'

Her eyes trembled as she tried not to blink, to interrupt the signal she was sending his way. But of course, she had to act as if she was doing it solely for his benefit, and not as if she would get anything out of it. That was just so difficult right now. She imagined what her face looked like, and tried to relax it.

'Don't look like you're begging, stupid!'

But once again, Claus bailed.

"I think it'll be o.k. Thanks."

She let out a deep sigh, her disappointment evident even to Claus, who ground his teeth even as he reached for the spice rack.

'Baka…'

&&&&&&&

"Can I make a pit-stop?"

Claus asked his escort. The guard walked another few paces, stopped and motioned toward the door to the left.

"Right here sir."

Claus nodded his thanks and entered, pausing briefly to look about in awe at the fabulous, almost ostentatious accommodations. Everything was marbled, pearled, or gilded, including the toilets. He knew that this was not Sophia's work; the empress had tried her best to eliminate any reference to past excesses of the old regime. She simply had not gotten around to the bathrooms yet.

He washed his hands, and then looked at his reflection in the cut crystal-bordered mirror. A stray cowlick was trying to assert its independence. He reminded it of who was boss, with the help of a bit of water from the sink. Out of force of habit, he quickly turned the faucet off, then, out of curiosity, turned it back on again.

_Crystal-clear, free-flowing water._

It was an idea that, until recently, he'd had a bit of difficulty wrapping his mind around. Given the almost ephemeral, mystical quality of this fluid, this Claudia fluid for living engines, it was hard to imagine this precious substance available in such volume. He cupped his hands together and caught the cool stream until his hands filled to overflowing. At once a commodity nearly as valuable as gold itself, it spoke to him as he watched it bubble up and over his hands. He allowed himself this indulgence, just this one time, as the rivulets slipped through his fingers. Claus brought his nose close to the source and inhaled the pure, almost non-fragrance, before caressing his face within it, his communion complete.

He had recently come around in his thinking, and realized that he _could_ get used to the idea of this kind of availability, in spite of the childhood of near poverty that he and Lavie had experienced as orphans. Sophia's reforms had made fresh, clean water available to any and everyone, the new law she had recently signed making it an inalienable right, much like the air one breathed. Even now, the pipeline construction projects to bring even more water from Disith to Anatoray brought the top civil and mechanical engineers of both countries, as well as former Guild, together in teams, quite a few of whom had until recently even calculated artillery trajectories against one another. Former enemies now reviewed blueprints and work-flow charts together, and the projects provided much-needed employment to many thousands.

_Sophia_.

Gripping the edge of the sink with both hands, Claus allowed his feelings for her to release. He contemplated upon their past, how much she had come to mean to him, and how her kiss had opened his eyes to what he and Lavie had, and what they could have, were he just a bit bolder.

And then he thought of her future, and the life she could expect as empress, with the power and influence that came with the title. But also, hidden behind all of that, she could expect the lies, deception and political intrigue, the underhanded and blatant tests of her will, the power-plays, and, of course, the men who would vie for her hand in marriage. For many of those, love was but a vague concept, spoken of only by the ignorant and naïve. Claus considered that she would perhaps never find true love, as she had committed to putting her people's welfare before her own desires.

With her father's passing, the region had definitely begun a healing process; however, all of the insects he had kept beneath his iron fist now wriggled about in their new-found freedom, many seeking to curry her favor. Some wanted to advise her as to what she was doing wrong, others claiming secrets only they knew, but that would most assuredly benefit her reign.

She continued to move her pieces across the board, however, her skill and ability growing with each move. She continued to build coalitions, even among those she would normally never associate.

She was doing all the right things so that she could continue to do the _right_ thing, but there were those who still doubted her ability, or at least pretended that they did, and some of them were becoming more and more vocal, using the now-free press to challenge her. Claus considered himself a simple van-ship pilot, but he would never stand for anyone to talk ill of her in his presence.

Only a week and a half ago, as he searched for spare bolts and lug-nuts at the scrap-metal supply shop, he almost got into a fist-fight when another patron openly and quite publicly disparaged Sophia, blaming her for the recent rise in prices. That alone Clause could have ignored, but then, the name he called her…

It took four men to restrain Claus then, and they had to remove him bodily from the shop. The proprietor knew him, and asked him to go home and cool off. The other customer, after picking himself up from the floor, had looked on in fear as he felt gingerly about for the loose teeth, Claus' threats ringing in his ears. He would find his scrap-metal at another shop today, high-tailing it out of there faster than Fat Chicken could down a grilled, fat chicken.

Claus looked at his reflection once more.

She had startled him with her revelation; she was becoming so much better at hiding her true emotions, and she now hid even her loneliness well, it seemed. Now he recalled the small, muted signals she had given him whenever the two had met recently. He had to mentally kick himself for being so oblivious. Under other circumstances, he could imagine a strong relationship developing, as she truly was a remarkable woman. Laughing softly to himself, he considered the difficulty he would have had as her beau, trying to adjust to life in the royal court, his disdain for gamesmanship would have her working even harder to correct his mistakes.

She was brave, honest, quite beautiful, and was possessed of an undeniable inner strength, in spite of her expressed doubts about her ability to hold her own.

And she definitely had a lovely figure.

He blew out the breath he had been holding, now actually saddened somewhat that her feelings for him were strong enough to force that confession from her.

Yes, Sophia was certainly all of those wonderful things, but unfortunately, there was one thing that she was not.

_Lavie_.

Turning off the water, he sighed, and then took one of the warmed, folded hand towels and held it against his face, letting any wisps of what might have been go along with that breath.

'Sophia I do care deeply for you, and I always will. But what you wanted was simply not meant to be.'

He would look out for her, he promised himself, to the best of his ability, to prevent anyone from taking advantage of her good nature. And he would also look out for said good nature, to help it survive amidst the carnivores she dealt with on a daily basis.

Because he _would_ remain her friend.

He completed drying his hands, and adjusted his collar once more, and then went off to dine with the woman of his destiny. Their new life would begin today.

**&&&&&&&**

A/N: Can't believe a year has come and gone before I was able to get to this!

This would have been the epilog to **Tea and Sympathy**, but it turned out to be too long as I just couldn't keep it short and sweet. I also think that **T&S** stands better just the way it is. So instead of having a two part epilog (?), I'm making this into a separate short story.

Next: Clearing the air with Sophia and Tatiana. Hoping to have the final resolution (after a _wee_ bit more angst!).

Thanks for reading.

W.


	2. Dynamic Aeroelasticity:Flutter

_Notice: elements of mild shoujo-ai ahead, so for those who are not fans of the genre…_

&&&&&&&

Claus and the royal escort continued down the hall until they reached the last intersection. They then made a right turn, in the direction of the banquet hall, when who should they meet walking in the opposite direction, but Tatiana, Alistia and Alvis, all heading home after having helped Lavie prepare for the upcoming event with the one who had confessed to her, albeit indirectly. But Claus had no knowledge of that.

"Girls!"

Claus greeted the three, surprised to see them here today. He had run into Tatiana and Alistia just this past Tuesday, but he hadn't seen Alvis since she had started regular schooling about two weeks ago. Neither did they expect to run into him, since they (Tatiana in particular) thought they had left early enough to avoid crossing paths. For each of the three, and for different reasons, and at various levels of intensity, their hearts suddenly beat faster.

Tatiana suddenly found her breath caught in her throat, as she had barely had time to sort her feelings out over his comments regarding his hoped-for relationship with Lavie. And now, here he was, in living color, a few feet away from her. She felt her cheeks begin to warm, as she responded to his presence.

'Seeing him so soon after… How cruel, fate?'

Alistia smiled warmly, her soft brown eyes sparkling as she acknowledged him.

"Hello, Claus."

"Hi, Claus!"

Alvis chirped. Seeing her "big brother" with such a surprised smile on his face, and not a look of concern, or worry, made her so very happy, and now that she knew that things would be even better for him and Lavie, she could barely contain herself. Claus knelt, and she nearly leapt into his arms, hugging him warmly, pecking his cheek, and then turned her face slightly so that he could plant a kiss on hers. The security she felt while in his embrace was a real, palpable thing.

If not for him, she would likely not even be alive.

Until fairly recently, she'd still had dreams, very bad dreams as a result of her ordeal, dreams of being captured by the starships, dreams of being shot out of the sky while fleeing her captors, dreams of the earth rushing up to meet them as they crashed. She hadn't really understood the nature of her gift with regard to the _Mysteria_, why it had to have been her of all people, and unleashing the tremendous amount of power that had resurrected _Exile_ still frightened her, in retrospect.

Indeed, her whole world had collapsed after first understanding and becoming aware of Gita's sacrifice, as that one took the shrapnel as she shielded the child with her own body, and then Ralph died trying to protect her, detonating his vanship in order to stop that pursuer. For one so young, to have stood face to face with death as it grasped at her, now and again, with ever more ferocity…

She had been so afraid that Claus would also be taken from her in similar fashion, or even worse, that he would abandon her in the face of the great danger he'd had to overcome in order to protect her.

But he had kept his promise to her, and had _delivered her from evil_. He had come to her rescue, then, and many times after, following her to the _**Sylvana **_and beyond, even, to look after her. For her sake he threw himself into the fray, not quite knowing if he would make it through himself, in one piece. Many times, in the face of danger, she had looked up at him, into his eyes, and had seen only determination and resolve. No, he would never abandon her.

_He was her hero._

And she didn't know it yet, but one day, a few years from now, she would search for someone with many of those same characteristics, ingrained mannerisms that were such an integral part of his character, her beloved "big brother". She would be fortunate indeed if she was successful in finding one who came even close.

"Hello, Al. Have you been good?"

Claus was always happy to see her, the bond between them as strong as one of blood, given what they had been through together. Just to play with her a bit, however, he jokingly asked her that question.

Almost reluctantly, she disengaged her arms from around his neck, clear hazel eyes blinking as she pulled back to look into his own, finding warmth, trust, truth, everything therein that had helped her to send her fears fleeing to someplace far away. She opened her mouth to reply, of course in the affirmative, but then her goat slipped from her hand. Claus saw, and quickly reached out and caught it before it hit the floor.

"Naa-aa-aa-aa-aagh!"

It seemingly replied to his question. Al blushed deeply, an infinite silent moment passing as the others looked at each other mutely. Then they all broke out in spontaneous laughter. Even the guardsman, standing a short distance away from them, pressed his lips together to stifle his own outburst, trying his best to maintain professional decorum. Al, now quite embarrassed, took the braying toy from Claus and shook it as she pouted.

"Silly goat. Of course I've been a good girl!"

She exclaimed to everyone, but mostly to Claus. Continuing to play with her, he stood and raised an eyebrow.

"That's not what I just heard…"

Al looked bashfully at Claus then, and, now realizing that he was only joking, started to slowly rock back and forth, hands (and goat) behind her. In spite of what he had just said, his eyes told her the truth. His eyes would never lie to her. She sighed as she released her anxiety.

"I… I knew you were only having fun…"

The scarlet of her cheeks only added to her unbelievable cuteness, and so of course he could no longer continue to tease her.

"You're right. I know you're a very, very good girl. The best."

He placed his hand on the top of her head, stroking her hair, and allowed her to wrap her arms about his waist once more, as she directed quite a bit of love, and not a small amount of relief, in his direction. He leaned over and whispered something into her ear, causing her to smile once more, and then giggle outright.

Tatiana regarded the interchange between the two, and had stopped smiling when the thought struck her.

'_Claus… would be… a wonderful father.'_

Where had that thought come from?

It was followed immediately by a jolt of emotion, laden heavy with regret. It hit her full on, and she reasoned that although her speculation was probably true, she would never know of it first-hand. Before meeting Claus, she couldn't ever picture herself as a mother, her brilliant military career leaving her at the end of her life as a high-ranking officer, perhaps admiral if she were so fortunate, as she gave herself entirely in service to her country. But things had changed; the world had changed.

She had changed.

Claus, and indeed, _Exile_ itself, had shown her that a person could create other realities, that there were almost infinite possibilities. And so, yes, that thought had snuck up on her, until one day it confronted her directly.

_Mother to his children..?_

Why, that would simply be…

'Arrgh!'

Before she would allow it to gather momentum once more, she grasped at the thought and tried to crush it. Because Claus had clearly made his choice, you see, and so...

But…

_Even after having heard him clearly, with her own ears, she couldn't… because…_

'Don't be stupid. He has Lavie... then, now, and always. So…'

_Because she was still… still in love with him._

He didn't love her as she loved him. He had chosen the one with whom he would spend his life, so how could that dream, or any other, with him, ever…

She set her jaw and clenched her fists.

'Come on, now. Discipline and control. Discipline and control. Discipline and…'

This was much more difficult than she could have ever imagined, as that notion bound itself to all the other feelings she had for him, their combined strength a formidable thing. And then they, all of them, began their assault anew. Much as she had tried to choke them back down, they regurgitated, making certain to not be ignored.

And now, here was the object of her unrequited affection, turning next to Alistia, grasping that one's hands and pulling her into a warm embrace. Wait a minute! That meant that she was… she was…

_Next_?

Her increased breathing threatened to match the cadence of her heart. In spite of her placid outward appearance, inside, her altimeter was spinning rapidly even as she fought to keep the horizon in view.

'Oh no. Claus… Please don't. Not now. Don't… don't come near me. Not after… Please don't… please don't touch me. I don't know what I'll do if you...'

The proud, brave sky warrior licked her suddenly dry lips as she looked nervously up and down the hallway for an avenue of escape. It was not in her nature to flee from conflict, but this…

"It's good to see you, Alistia."

Claus had pulled back from the slender brunette to regard her warmly. She smiled.

"As it is for me to see you again, Claus. You're looking quite handsome today, I must say."

"Well, umm, Empress Sophia…"

Claus stalled briefly, rubbing the back of his neck, not sure about how much he should reveal to them of what the girls already knew. Alistia intercepted the pregnant pause, ending it.

"Of course. We won't keep you. I hope you'll attend our picnic the weekend after next."

"Oh, that's right. I'm sorry I haven't yet responded, as I've been preoccupied lately, but you know I'll be there."

"Excellent. We'll be expecting you, then."

She released her hands from his, and clasped both hands in front of her as he next turned to Tatiana. Alistia gasped as she only now noticed her friend's distress, as that one tried her best to look anywhere but directly at Claus.

'Claus, please… I can't… Lavie…'

_Don't touch me._

_Don't touch me._

_Don't touch me._

"Tatiana…"

_If you touch me, I'll…_

He grasped her hand, then, feeling her resistance as she tensed nearly every muscle in her body, and seeing her take a step back, knitted his brow in uncertainty. Was something wrong?

"Tatiana?"

"Claus…" She fought to keep her voice from cracking.

"Are you all right?"

'_No! I'm not all right! You and Lavie are going to be happy for the rest of your lives, and I'm… and I'm…'_

Discipline and Control.

Biting the inside of her lip so hard that she nearly drew blood, she steeled herself to regard him face-to-face, lovely pale crystal eyes looking directly into his own. Then, after stilling the vibrations in her body and regulating her breathing to the best of her ability, she made her decision.

'I can no longer lie to myself…'

She moved in closer and returned his embrace, speaking now softly into his ear.

"I'm sorry. Yes, I'm fine. How are you Claus?"

With his hands still about her waist, Claus began to drone on about something or other; she wasn't exactly sure what he was saying, processing it as some kind of weird, vacant resonance. All she knew was that she was now as close to him as she would ever get physically, and it was nearly driving her mad. This was it for her. Her arms wrapped themselves about his neck as he continued to ramble. It was all she could do to not bring her hands up and run them through his hair, before… _pulling his lips to hers?_

No!

He… Lavie…

The vibrations passed from his body to hers as he spoke.

'Oh, God…'

He had also developed a quite powerful, masculine build, as she could now feel as well. And why did he have to smell so good? Her mind was spinning. Was their embrace for just a brief moment? Or… forever?

'Claus… I'm…'

"So if I don't run into you guys before then, I'll see you at the picnic, o.k?"

_Discipline and Control._

Tatiana regained her senses.

"S… sure."

'_And now, let go of him. Just let go. Just… let… go.'_

Every ounce of will power relaxed her muscles as she released him, bringing her arms slowly back down to her sides. Softly, evenly, she let out the breath she'd been holding.

He disengaged himself from her, and looked once more into her eyes, Tatiana swearing that he could see directly into her heart, because she no longer had any power left to seal it from him. But that just couldn't be true, because then he would know exactly what she was feeling just now, and he couldn't, wouldn't be cruel enough to just walk away, leaving her so...

'Just stop it. He and Lavie will… they'll…'

After saying his goodbyes to them all once more, Claus nodded to the guard, and those two then headed down the corridor to their destination. Tatiana, still distracted, took a step in that direction, and when they turned the corner, her tears came unbound.

"Goodbye, Claus."

She almost whispered.

Alistia had seen everything, and had also felt every ounce of the weight of Tatiana's distress. When the pilot took another step after him, Alistia rushed up behind her friend and grasped that one about the waist, burying her face in Tatiana's back.

"No, Tatiana. You can't do this to yourself. He's…"

And now, neither could Alvis contain herself after witnessing all of the sorrow and torment.

"Tatiana…"

She sniffed, trying her hardest to be a big girl right now. Tatiana did not sob, indeed, she made no sound at all, but her tears continued to flow, some falling and now splashing onto Alistia's hands as the lovely brunette did her utmost to save her best friend from the grief that threatened to overcome her.

Her best friend.

And the long-held object of her affection.

"Alis, I thought I could give him up. How stupid am I? I mean, I lost, so the winner takes the prize, and the loser gets to go home, right? But, seeing him again, and touching him, holding him… I… I don't know how…"

Tatiana's eyes, those stunningly beautiful, pale portals to her soul, continued to deliver moisture down the delicate slope of her cheeks, but it was now Alistia who was sobbing, trying as hard as she could to absorb Tatiana's pain, as if that were possible. Tatiana blinked, finally realizing who it was that clutched onto her for dear life.

"Alistia… but..?"

"When you hurt, I hurt."

Came the muffled reply. Tatiana turned to face her friend, who briefly released her, then captured her in an embrace once more.

Alistia then called upon every ounce of courage she had, as she realized what could transpire, if she were so fortunate. Her valor and daring were beyond reproach, as she had survived, often barely, many dangerous missions with her pilot. This, however…

'The time is now. I have to be brave.'

Slowly, she lifted her head until her face was now mere inches from that gorgeous face, the face of her dreams, closer than she had ever dared to come before. Tatiana blinked in uncertainty.

"Alis..?"

Alvis, eyes wide and mouth agape, was by now barely breathing, crushing her pet (having by now forgiven it for its transgression) to her chest as she waited for this to play out. The slender navi stood up to her full height as she now would confront her deepest fear as well as express her deepest desire. In life, as in a dogfight, there are windows of opportunity. Here was one for her. She almost wheezed, trying to get the words out, however, her normally light, airy voice now strained.

"Tatiana… you… you don't have to feel… you're _not_ all alone… there is someone… someone who loves you… right _now_, right _here_…"

"Alis… you don't mean...?"

"That person… is right here… right in front of you…"

Alistia's blush had turned her normally downy cheeks a bright scarlet, as her own heart pounded away like the winds of the _Grand Stream_ beating the bolts out of a fuselage. Realization hit Tatiana, and she was rocked emotionally for the second time today.

"That… that person you mentioned at the tea party?"

Alistia fought against the impulse to turn away as she confessed, to spare herself the potential for even greater pain in such close proximity, because Tatiana could reject her, and it would probably hurt worse than anything. She was sucking in oxygen as she almost panted, but she needed to see Tatiana's face, needed to see her reaction, so that she would remember this day for the rest of her life, regardless of the outcome. The gentle dove had now become a hawk, as she took the boldest move yet.

She reached up with both hands and caressed Tatiana's cheeks, wiping away the tear-tracks with her thumbs.

"Yes, it's you. It's always been you."

**&&&&&&&**

**Author's Comments**: This chapter is dedicated to girls who like girls, and the millions of us fanboys who love them. For my inspiration, I used the sketch found here:

forums(dot)toonzone(dot)net/showthread.php?t98965

I actually preferred the image second from the bottom (as opposed to the finished product), and saved it as my wallpaper as I worked, since I thought Tatiana's eyes were much more expressive. And Alistia's showing some 'tude, eh?

This is _**my**_ girl. Keep back, y'all!

Kudos to the artist.

**ChoboChan**: You can come out now. I read your entry about this fic in your journal. This is my thanks for your support.

**AyanamiEraclea**: Hey! I just got it! You must be Rei and Dio's kid. Just kidding. Thanks… and for the glomps, too.

**Prometheus**: Thank you. Next chap will be the last, as he meets up with Sophia, and finally, Lavie.

**Jak**: Thanks. And say hi to Daxter!

**rcmene**: Thank you. T&S is a complete stand alone from this continuation. And you too are awesome!

**DarkGoddessVidel**: Gomen-nesai! I hope to have the end posted much sooner. Thanks!

**BJ-Blatzkowitz-reborn**: You must have beaten me, as this tortoise was just passed by the hare, so…

**pcy-623**: You don't have to whine any longer. Thank you.

Ja.

W.


End file.
